Tours & Festivals – Magazine79http://magazine79.com
Culture, Justice, Places and Politics.
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1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.1http://magazine79.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/mag79-site-icon-2018-01-100x100.jpgTours & Festivals – Magazine79http://magazine79.com
3232118518498Vocalist Lura to spread the beauty of Cape Verdehttp://magazine79.com/2018/02/10/vocalist-lura-to-spread-the-beauty-of-cape-verde/
http://magazine79.com/2018/02/10/vocalist-lura-to-spread-the-beauty-of-cape-verde/#respondSat, 10 Feb 2018 07:47:00 +0000http://magazine79.com/?p=732Lura will perform in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia and in the Australian marvel Adelaide. There are far more world tour dates, but they have not been announced so far. The Portuguese vocalist of Cape Verdean descent will introduce styles such as Morna, Funaná und Batuku. Those are music genres from Cape Verde, the volcanic archipelago […]]]>

Lura will perform in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia and in the Australian marvel Adelaide. There are far more world tour dates, but they have not been announced so far.

The Portuguese vocalist of Cape Verdean descent will introduce styles such as Morna, Funaná und Batuku. Those are music genres from Cape Verde, the volcanic archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa, which is as beautiful as the sounds Lura is known for.

The artist grew up with this kind of music. Early on, she wanted to become either a swimming teacher or a dancer, but quickly changed her mind, when Juka, an artist from São Tomé and Príncipe, asked her to record a duet with him.

More than 20 years ago, Lura recorded her first album “Nha Vida”. Shortly after, the brilliant singer contributed her silky voice to the project “Red Hot + Lisbon”, which was part of an awareness campaign on the subject of HIV and AIDS. For that charity project, fellow artists from Brazil joined Lura, including Djavan, Caetano Veloso and Marisa Monte.

Lura. Photo by Lura.

She also became part of the motion picture “Fados” by Carlos Saura. Her contribution was the song “Morna”.

Lura has received several deserved awards, including the BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music. Since “Nha Vida”, she has released the albums “In Love”, “Di Korpu Ku Alma”, “M’bem di Fora”, “Eclipse” and “Herança”.

In Sofia and Adelaide, Lura will for sure extend her large fan base even more, since she spreads beauty in all ways possible.

Lura in Sofia (Bulgaria), May 11th, 2018, 20:00 hrs., Sofia Live Club. Tickets for 40 leva a piece are available here.

More dates to come.

]]>http://magazine79.com/2018/02/10/vocalist-lura-to-spread-the-beauty-of-cape-verde/feed/0732Electronic Sound Pioneers: Kraftwerk to Perform All Over the Balkanshttp://magazine79.com/2018/02/09/electronic-sound-pioneers-kraftwerk-to-perform-all-over-the-balkans/
http://magazine79.com/2018/02/09/electronic-sound-pioneers-kraftwerk-to-perform-all-over-the-balkans/#respondFri, 09 Feb 2018 07:59:38 +0000http://magazine79.com/?p=700Kraftwerk, a unique music group from Germany, founded in 1970, will perform in several Eastern European countries in February and March of 2018. Those include Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovenia, Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania. Calling them the pioneers of electronic pop music is not exaggerated at all. When their album ‘Autobahn’, their first […]]]>

Kraftwerk, a unique music group from Germany, founded in 1970, will perform in several Eastern European countries in February and March of 2018. Those include Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovenia, Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania.

Calling them the pioneers of electronic pop music is not exaggerated at all. When their album ‘Autobahn’, their first huge success, was released in 1973, people could not believe their ears. There was a band which had the guts to do something hardly anyone had done before.

“Autobaaaaaahn. Autobaaaaaahn.” That is what the chorus of the title track sounded like, with computerised voices and synth sounds. What might sound rather conventional today, when read in an article like this one, was nothing less than sensational in 1973.

Kraftwerk, founded by two guys named Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider, foresaw the future of Pop music, from the perspective of the early 1970-s, and decided to accelerate it in their recording studio. They hired studio drummers and got going. A few years later, there were four members.

In 1978, not just their sound, but also their look had become futuristic. Their tunes, along with their outfits and videos, were like little Science Fiction stories. When they appeared on German TV, they were ‘Die Roboter’ (‘The Robots’). And that is exactly what they sounded like. ‘Das Model’ was another big hit.

Whenever other bands tried to copy the original Kraftwerk sound, the group had already developed further. There is only one Kraftwerk. This applied back then, and it does today.

In 1981, Kraftwerk embarked on their first world tour, during which they were extremely successful in Japan. During the second half of the 1980-s, their tune ‘Musique Non Stop’ was on M-TV’s heavy rotation. In 1997, the New York Times called Kraftwerk “the Beatles of electronic music”. In 2014, they even got a Grammy Award for their lifetime achievement.

Kraftwerk is still Kraftwerk. Their sounds are still pathbreaking in the world of electronic music. They are the ones who co-invented it, along with Jean-Michel Jarre and few others.

These are Kraftwerk’s upcoming gigs in Eastern Europe:

February 11th, 2018: St. Petersburg, Yubileyny

February 13th, 2018: Moscow, Kremlin Palace

February 15th, 2018: Helsinki, Finlandia Talo (2 shows)

February 17th, 2018: Tallinn, Saku Arena

February 18th, 2018: Riga, Arena Riga

February 19th, 2018: Kaunas, Zalgiris Arena

February 21st, 2018: Budapest, Papp Lazlo Sportarena

February 22nd, 2018: Ljuljana, Dvorana Tivoli Sports-Arena

February 24th, 2018: Belgrade, Arena Beograd

February 25th, 2018: Sarajevo, Mirza Delibasic Hall

February 27th, 2018: Skopje, Sportski Centar

February 28th, 2018: Sofia, Universiada Hall Tickets for Sofia

March 1st, 2018: Bucharest, Arenele Romane Tickets for Bucharest

March 3rd, 2018: Athens, Faliron Pavilion

In Summer of 2018, Kraftwerk will also “do” Zurich, Cork, Werchter, Stuttgart, St. Margarethen, Copenhagen, Trondheim and Pula.

]]>http://magazine79.com/2018/02/09/electronic-sound-pioneers-kraftwerk-to-perform-all-over-the-balkans/feed/0700Al Di Meola: Legendary Guitar Hero on Tourhttp://magazine79.com/2018/02/05/al-di-meola-legendary-guitar-hero-on-tour/
http://magazine79.com/2018/02/05/al-di-meola-legendary-guitar-hero-on-tour/#respondMon, 05 Feb 2018 06:14:22 +0000http://magazine79.com/?p=551When you are born in Jersey City, you are technically from New Jersey. Real New Yorkers might make fun of you, but in a way you are a New Yorker anyway. It takes a few minutes to drive through the Holland Tunnel, which takes you straight onto Canal Street in Manhattan. Al Laurence Dimeola, mostly […]]]>

When you are born in Jersey City, you are technically from New Jersey. Real New Yorkers might make fun of you, but in a way you are a New Yorker anyway. It takes a few minutes to drive through the Holland Tunnel, which takes you straight onto Canal Street in Manhattan.

Al Laurence Dimeola, mostly known as Al Di Meola today, must have taken that short trip many times, before he moved up to Boston, in order to study at the Berklee College of Music, along with dozens of other gifted people who would become stars like him.

In 1973, Al Di Meola, who was 19 at the time, was already good. No, he was brilliant on the guitar and quickly mutated into a genius on that instrument. The latter was the main reason for a phone call he received, by a stunning pianist, composer and arranger by the name of Chick Corea.

Chick, who has a side job as one of the spokespeople for the dangerous Scientology cult today, had a far better idea back then: He wanted Al Di Meola to join Return to Forever, one of the most fantastic Jazz-Rock or Fusion bands at the time.

Chick, Al, bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White would absolutely kill it in the studio. When they recorded the album “Romantic Warrior” in February of 1976, they might not have been aware of the fact that it would be one of the most brilliant Fusion albums of all time.

But Al Di Meola, who was into composing as well, developed ideas of his own too. That same year, he recorded a killer solo album. “Land of the Midnight Sun” became a Fusion milestone as well. So did his second solo record “Elegant Gypsy”, which he released only a year later, in 1977.

In the 1970-s, far more people understood real music, or sounds of high quality, than today. People like Al Di Meola, Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea, George Duke and Jean-Luc Ponty, or bands like Return to Forever, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Sypro Gyra, and some others delivered breathtaking mixtures of Jazz, Rock, or even Funk, and World Music.

Al Di Meola kept on recording like crazy. In 1981, another collaboration became a big sensation. With fellow guitarists John McLaughlin and the late Paco de Lucia, he released “Friday Night in San Francisco”, the recording of an acoustic gig the three had performed. When this one hit the record stores, it became legendary within minutes. Another stunning recording.

This year, 22 solo studio albums, five solo live albums and truckloads of collaboration albums later, Al Di Meola, the Fusion and World Music genius, is embarking on yet another tour.

At this stage, he is “doing” the U.S. East Coast. At several venues, Di Meola will present “An Intimate Acoustic Evening”. In May, he will be off to Europe.

Photos by Al Di Meola.

]]>http://magazine79.com/2018/02/05/al-di-meola-legendary-guitar-hero-on-tour/feed/0551Michel Camilo: The Don of Latin Jazz is Back on the Roadhttp://magazine79.com/2018/02/03/michel-camilo-the-don-of-latin-jazz-is-back-on-the-road/
http://magazine79.com/2018/02/03/michel-camilo-the-don-of-latin-jazz-is-back-on-the-road/#respondSat, 03 Feb 2018 15:40:23 +0000http://magazine79.com/?p=515There are Jazz pianists and there is Michel Camilo. This guy is one of a kind. He definitely is the Don of Latin Jazz on the piano, since his playing is simply breathtaking. For the first time ever, that word is truly appropriate. Michael Camilo will stun every single person in his audience. Camilo is […]]]>

There are Jazz pianists and there is Michel Camilo. This guy is one of a kind. He definitely is the Don of Latin Jazz on the piano, since his playing is simply breathtaking. For the first time ever, that word is truly appropriate. Michael Camilo will stun every single person in his audience.

Camilo is from the Dominican Republic, where he first saw the light of the world in 1954 in Santo Domingo. Early on, his parents gave him an accordion. But what he was even more interested in was a piano, which he got a little later, when he was 10.

In Santo Domingo, Michael Camilo was educated well. As a teenager, he was already part of the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic. And he loved listening to old Jazz recordings by Art Tatum and Scott Joplin.

An American college Jazz band came to Santo Domingo one day. When the band leader heard Michael Camilo jam one night, he walked up to him and told him to come to the United States. The rest is history.

Camilo came to New York City, where he studied at both Mannes College and Julliard.

Michel Camilo will be touring the world in late 2018.

A few years later, saxophonist and clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera, a Cuban genius who had been a member of the stunning group Irakere before he fled the communist Island, offered Camilo a place in his band. More collaborations followed.

Then Michel Camilo started recording his own albums, lots of them. In 2000, a recording he released with flamenco guitarist Tomatito got him a well-deserved Grammy Award.

Apart from releasing countless solo albums, the Dominican piano God played with the most brilliant fellow artists, including Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, George Benson, the two former Irakere members Arturo Sandoval and Chucho Valdés, Herbie Hancock, and the entire phone book of Los Angeles.

Michel Camilo, the Don of Latin Jazz, the master himself, the brilliant genius will tour Europe in the fall of 2018. Most dates have not been added to his official schedule yet.

Camilo will also appear in Japan again. The Blue Note Tokyo will be his four nights in a row.

]]>http://magazine79.com/2018/02/03/michel-camilo-the-don-of-latin-jazz-is-back-on-the-road/feed/0515The Yellowjackets on Tour: Masters of Intellectual Fusionhttp://magazine79.com/2016/10/15/the-yellowjackets-on-tour-masters-of-intellectual-fusion/
http://magazine79.com/2016/10/15/the-yellowjackets-on-tour-masters-of-intellectual-fusion/#respondSat, 15 Oct 2016 14:58:36 +0000http://magazine79.com/?p=49The 1980-s had just begun, when guitarist Robben Ford, keyborder Russell Ferrante, bass hero Jimmy Haslip and drummer Ricky Lawson decided to form a Fusion group. The actual Fusion era was actually just ending. Some of the most brilliant Fusion albums had already been recorded, including “Enigmatic Ocean” by Jean-Luc Ponty, “Carnaval” by Spyro Gyra, […]]]>

The 1980-s had just begun, when guitarist Robben Ford, keyborder Russell Ferrante, bass hero Jimmy Haslip and drummer Ricky Lawson decided to form a Fusion group. The actual Fusion era was actually just ending. Some of the most brilliant Fusion albums had already been recorded, including “Enigmatic Ocean” by Jean-Luc Ponty, “Carnaval” by Spyro Gyra, “Follow the Rainbow” by George Duke and “A Funky Thide of Sings” by Billy Cobham. Yet, this quartet, the Yellowjackets, managed to come up with another Fusion album every genre enthusiast knows by heart, the self-titled record “Yellowjackets”. That brilliant recording features “Matinee Idol”, a killer Jazz-Funk tune, but also Fusion pieces at their very best.

One of their most memorable gigs of that era happened at the Monreux Jazz Festival in 1981, when they presented the material of that legendary album, and their classic “Monmouth College Fight Song”.

Over the years, they recorded a total of 22 studio albums, the last one, “Cohearence”, just a few months ago. It’s been 36 years since it all started in Los Angeles, and they have changed. Russell Ferrante is the only original member. Also, they have become more intellectual, in the sense that they are telling stories with their music, which has become more quiet, melodic, and mainly based on the great Bob Mintzer’s saxophone sound. Sophisticated “quartet Fusion” is what audiences can expect.

Their tour will take the guys to Hungary, Poland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria for the first time ever and Serbia. Who would want to be in their shoes when they have to get to Subotica in northern Serbia, after their Sofia gig? They will probably have to be driven there. A loooong trip. Oh, they are also going to a country called “U.S.”, for a New Jersey gig.

Whenever the Yellowjackets are interviewed, they are being asked where their unconventional band name comes from. There is no conclusive answer. That name was on a list of possible names three and a half decades ago. And it got picked since the other possible names were unacceptable to most band members.

]]>http://magazine79.com/2016/10/15/the-yellowjackets-on-tour-masters-of-intellectual-fusion/feed/049French Voice: Imany Kicks Off “The Wrong Kind of War” Tourhttp://magazine79.com/2016/10/15/french-voice-imany-kicks-off-the-wrong-kind-of-war-tour/
http://magazine79.com/2016/10/15/french-voice-imany-kicks-off-the-wrong-kind-of-war-tour/#respondSat, 15 Oct 2016 14:44:32 +0000http://magazine79.com/?p=43Imany, a former model from France, who has lived in the United States extensively and later became a vocalist, is starting her "The Wrong Kind of War" tour, during which she will introduce her new album of that title.Unlike many other Soulful voices, e.g. from Enland or the United States, Imany does not seem to […]]]>

Imany, a former model from France, who has lived in the United States extensively and later became a vocalist, is starting her "The Wrong Kind of War" tour, during which she will introduce her new album of that title.

Unlike many other Soulful voices, e.g. from Enland or the United States, Imany does not seem to have grown into singing in Gospel church services or as part of musical families, who sang with their children all day long. It seems this beautiful lady just took a conscious decision on becoming a vocalist, when her modeling career ended. The outcome of her ambitions are nice, easy to listen to, and mostly quiet Folk and Pop songs with messages. Her soothing voice, combined with good, but rather conventional arrangements and compositions, make her songs sound like tunes radio stations would play, because both the melodies and rhythms are easy to understand.

Whoever has been a lover of soulful voices for decades, might feel reminded of what Joan Armatrading recorded in the 1970-s, or of Tracy Chapman's work released the 1980's. There is absolutely no Funk in her tunes, neither do they contain elements of what they call Neo Soul. This is straight ahead Pop and Folk. But she did develop a recognizable style, which is one of the ingredients for the considerable success Imany is having as an artist.

This tour, during which she will introduce her latest album "The Wrong Kind of War", will take her to France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Poland, Turkey, Italy, Germany and Bulgaria.

The 37-year-old started singing only in 2008, and recorded her first album a few years later, entitled "The Shape of a Broken Heart". She even produced the soundtrack for the French film "Sous les Jupes des Filles".

Her artist name, Imany, stands for faith in Swahili. There is at another vocalist with that name, spelled Imaani, who used to be part of the British Jazz-Funk act Incognito.